Billboard had reported that many music festivals and events are offering layaway plans on ticket purchases. Stagecoach in Indio, California; Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee; and Country Thunder USA in Florence, Arizona.
For Bonnaroo, this is the second year the festival has offered layaway. During the holiday pre-sale period through the end of December, customers could purchase tickets for five monthly payments of $50 each, plus $40.90 in applicable fees and shipping charges added to the first payment. That compares with fees and shipping charges of $33.10 to $35.10 on regular presale tickets, depending on the shipping option.
With the downward spiral of the economy, it was a good alternative to giving into the recession. According to the president of A.C. Entertainment, which co-produces Bonnaroo with Superfly Presents, layaway was “simply an acknowledgment that many of our fans are in college, maybe on a tight budget, and we wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to purchase tickets without having to absorb the ticket price in one lump sum,”said Ashley Capps.
The layaway option accounted for less than 5 percent of total sales in 2007 at the Bonnaroo Festival and 22 percent of the tickets and RV camping passes for Stagecoach.
This concept is really cool! With the economy being the way it is, this definitely helps for those big expensive festivals.